i’m traveling for the next couple of weeks but i don’t plan to let that stop my 40 bags in 40 days challenge! this pic is from my bathroom that is featured in this fun DIY post on magnetizing the medicine cabinet. with medicine cabinets, get rid of anything that is expired, crusty or just plain smells weird.
A guest blog by Bneato team member Lauren Mang.
I’ve been working with Beth at Bneato for a little while now, and have attended not one but three of her No Mess No Stress Paper Bootcamps (I highly recommend you attend one in your area). It was at my first bootcamp that I learned the term ‘paperless.’ Beth had brought her Fujitsu ScanSnap S1500M Document Scanner for Mac to the bootcamp in case anyone wanted to start the process of going paperless by scanning their documents on her super efficient machine (50 pages per minute; front/back and in color). She also brought two shredders so we could walk out without any extra ‘stuff.’
Now, I’ve been pretty organized my whole life, but even I learned my paperwork system was not efficient. Once I streamlined my files, Beth came over to see if I had any questions. She saw I was holding onto a file of documents (which included dog training lessons, tips/tricks and fun facts for dogs). She asked me if I planned to use them and I immediately responded, ‘Well, some day.’ As soon as the words came out I knew I had uttered the dreaded words: ‘some day’ indicates clutter and it is something you should rid yourself of. However, in my case, I was going to use those documents the next time I got a dog, as they had worked so well for my current dog. But I didn’t want to hold on to all that excess paper so Beth said we could scan them and then I could shred them. Immediately, I was hooked.
The next time we had a bootcamp I had just completed a Last Will & Testament which I was then able to scan/shred and even email to my choice of executer. It felt so freeing and was so easy! Since it’s January, I decided it was time to go through my file cabinet – which had been organized only a few months before – and clear out any papers I didn’t need. I shredded statements for my auto lease, credit card statements that were paid off, and my Time Warner statements, among others. It was then that I realized I was holding on to a lot of paper that I didn’t need, but wasn’t necessarily ready to let go of – like my offer letter for my dream job that I landed in 2008, only to get laid off thanks to the recession in 2009. And then, of course, there were the documents that I did need: medical/dental documents, real estate related documents, vet bills/statements, etc. But did I need paper copies of these?
I asked Beth if I could use her scanner once again (I do plan on investing in my own as soon as Staples comes out with a 25% off coupon that will apply), and of course she obliged. She even recommended I read an e-book called Paperless by David Sparks. He recommends the Fujitsu scanner, among others, and gives great tips on how to digitally file your paperless documents. I spent 2 hours scanning documents that I organized into folders on my computer. Naturally, I keep things backed up on three different back up drives (two external and the Time Machine), but I’d rather the files be digital than in paper form. You can also back up to the cloud, or to Dropbox. The next step was shredding all those documents – at least one ream of paper, if not a ream and a half.
During the most recent bootcamp, I caught a tip that Beth had given out many times before, but this time it clicked: instead of saving assembly instructions and product manuals, why not find them online and bookmark them, download a PDF from the manufacturer’s website, or scan any items that you can’t locate online and save to your computer? I had a giant file of these that I didn’t want lying around. Now, I’ll admit, it took several hours to locate information on approximately 25 of my manuals/instructions, and for another handful I had to scan them in myself, but it was worth the time!
About the time I was going through the paperless process (and literally feeling lighter because of it) I was offered a job up in the San Francisco Bay Area which would mean a move north – and a quick one at that. I was so thankful I had already unloaded what would’ve been at least one large box that I would’ve had to schlep to my new digs. And what’s better, the shredded documents have acted as great packing material for my dishes and other fragile items!
Going paperless probably seems like a very daunting and time consuming idea. We tend not to trust technology as it has failed us before, but if we back up, do things right, and invest the time to get our system organized, it will make our lives lighter and easier. Buh-bye files/manuals, I’m living the paperless life now!
For the full list, click the pic!
If you have ever perused the Bneato Facebook Fan page, you know I’m a big fan of inspirational quotes. There’s just something about a great quote that can give a little incentive, courage and motivation when the tough gets going.
Recently, I decided to create a Bneato Document called ‘Top 10 House Rules.’ I rounded up my all- time-favorite quotes on organizing as a go-to list for your own home.
Here’s a link to the document so that you may print it out if you like and put it on your fridge or the office memo board. I hope it is as much fun to read (and follow) as it was to make!
image; the maisonette
so we moved (halloween was our moved date…. i went as a mover). and we’ve been unpacking boxes ever since. it has only been in this last week that the house feels like it’s slowly coming together—with the arrival of some much needed rugs , wall lighting and a plycraft chair. the couch is getting recovered today and that will be one more thing i can cross of the list (thank god). and while i hadn’t expected it would take this long to get the house to feel like a home, i did know it would be a new challenge living in a house with stairs. the bathroom is upstairs, laundry is downstairs (so you can already see where this is going). and while they can prove taxing, here’s how i deal:
1. doubles. you need doubles. normally, i would say, you don’t need all the extras (and extras of the extras). in a home with stairs, you need them. here are a handful of things i keep doubles of (aka if it’s upstairs, it’s downstairs).
kitty litter & bags (for litter box upstairs)
trash bags, paper towels, cleaning spray, sponges, broom & dust pan
coats
hampers
dog beds
towels
2. always have something in your hands this goes for single-level homes as well but i would say should be heeded even more in two-level homes. even it you’re not going downstairs at the moment, if you leave a room, put that item by the top of the stairs so you won’t forget when you eventually make the trek (same thing for when you’re downstairs).
how do you keep your home neat and tidy when there are stairs involved?!
A guest blog by Bneato team member Nicole Tenret
So, what did I do with the tools and cleaning supplies from *my previous post*? Continue reading
A guest post by Bneato team member Nicole Tenret
When I moved into my fantastic new place a few months ago, I implemented the “shove-everything-in-the-linen-closet-and-be-done” unpacking strategy. In a short amount of time I realized this wasn’t working.
so we just moved—like halloween was our move-in day (i dressed up as a mover… bahdum tish!) and in this home, the beau and i decided to merge offices—well, at least office closets—the rest is open for a lengthy debate. but instead of bringing you into our quibble over sharing the office, i will let you in on the fun office closet that i maximized with leftover shelving from our old place…
A guest blog by Bneato team member Nicole Tenret
nifty (niftē)
adjective
particularly good, skillful, or effective
fashionable; stylish
What to do with all those iPhone, camera, USB, earbud, and various other electrical cords tangled up in your desk drawer? Coil them up and secure them with these Gear Ties by Nite Ize, available at The Container Store (although not on their website). Of course, you could always use bread bag twist ties in a pinch.
A guest blog by Bneato team member Nicole Tenret
What a difference a few containers can make!
A guest blog by Bneato Team Member Lauren
With all the Hurricane Sandy (a.k.a Frankenstorm – really?!) hysteria on the east coast, it has us west coasters believing even more that the ‘big one’ is just around the corner. A client I was working with the other day freely admitted that she was having earthquake vibes.
Having lived in California before, I am no stranger to earthquakes. Granted, they were not large ones, so I can’t say I’m necessarily looking forward to the ‘big one’ but I’m certainly not scared. A large part of my assurance comes from the fact that I have a really great emergency stock pile which includes a lot of canned goods!
Unfortunately, there aren’t many options when it comes to canned goods organization. The Container Store has a couple, but one of them makes no sense to me (the step/platform one). It would be fine for a store/window display but doesn’t seem functional in a real kitchen. I do like their three tier shelf system – which holds A LOT of cans – so much so that I bought two! Oddly, they don’t have this on the website, but I have purchased it in two different stores, so they are out there.
This new system helps me keep things in order by category; allows me to see what I have at a glance which is helpful when it comes to inventory and restocking; but it also makes me happy when I open up the cabinet for a can of soup (now that it’s fall). Ahhhh, canned good zen.